Trump warns UK against giving away key military base

Thursday, 19 February 2026 08:34

The US President says British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is making a "big mistake" in handing back the Chagos Islands.

US President Donald Trump has slammed the British government's plan to lease back a vital military base in the Indian Ocean as part of a deal with Mauritius.

The UK is planning to hand back sovereignty of the remote Chagos Islands, part of the British Indian Ocean Territory, to Mauritius after months of negotiations.

The biggest of the archipelago's islands is Diego Garcia, which is a joint US-UK military base.

"Do not give away Diego Garcia," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

"This land should not be taken away from the UK and, if it is allowed to be, it will be a blight on our Great Ally."

Britain plans to lease back Diego Garcia under a 99-year agreement worth billions of dollars.

The island, 500km south of the Maldives Islands, has an air base and naval port.

The outburst by Trump, a longtime critic of the UK-Mauritius agreement, comes after his administration this week officially backed the agreement.

In a statement on Tuesday, the US Department of State said it "supports the decision of the United Kingdom to proceed with its agreement with Mauritius concerning the Chagos archipelago".

But in his social media post, Trump accused the UK of making a "big mistake".

"I have been telling Prime Minister Keir Starmer, of the United Kingdom, that Leases are no good when it comes to Countries, and that he is making a big mistake by entering a 100 Year Lease..."

Trump that Diego Garcia was "strategically located in the Indian Ocean".

"Prime Minister Starmer is losing control of this important Island by claims of entities never known of before," he said.

"We will always be ready, willing, and able to fight for the U.K., but they have to remain strong in the face of Wokeism, and other problems put before them."

Trump also said Diego Garcia could play a role in any American military action against Iran, if talks over the Middle Eastern country's nuclear program fail.

"Should Iran decide not to make a Deal, it may be necessary for the United States to use Diego Garcia... in order to eradicate a potential attack by a highly unstable and dangerous Regime."

Trump has ordered a powerful military force to the Middle East over past weeks as talks between US and Iranian officials continue.

- With the BBC